M6:1614 — او چو که در ناز ثابت آمده / عاشقان چون برگها لرزان شده

Translation: He (the Beloved) has come forth steadfast like a mountain in self-delight (nāz), / while the lovers have become trembling like leaves. Meaning: This verse illustrates the stark contrast between the Beloved's serene and stable composure in nāz (alluring indifference) and the agitated, unstable state of the lovers, who tremble like leaves in response.

This particular verse, in my estimation, offers a crucial key to understanding the antithetical manifestations of love. I have always emphasized that love, despite its essential unity, can present itself in two profoundly distinct ways: the love of the lover and the love of the Beloved. When this love settles in the Beloved's soul, it engenders nāz (self-delight, alluring indifference), joy, and a certain self-sufficiency, rendering them steadfast and independent. Yet, this very same love, when it takes hold in the lover's heart, gives rise to niyāz (longing, supplication), suffering, and emaciation, leaving them trembling and restless.

Mawlana here articulates with striking clarity that the lover's restlessness (bī-qarārī) is, in fact, born of and generated by the Beloved's steadfastness and composure (qarār). The metaphor of the mountain and the leaf is both incredibly vivid and precise. The Beloved, like a mountain, is firm and unyielding; in their nāz, they sit so established that nothing can stir them. The lovers, however, in response to this unwavering stability and self-possession of the Beloved, become agitated and restless, like leaves trembling at the slightest breeze. This imagery powerfully conveys the fundamental difference in the existential states of the lover and the Beloved.

One might sometimes ask, from a philosophical perspective, how a single phenomenon can produce two such opposing effects. Yet, in the realm of love, this is not only not unintelligible but is perfectly rational, possible, and indeed, actualized in human experience. Mawlana, through these tangible examples from the human world, intends to show that this duality in love's action is a natural and comprehensible phenomenon. Just as the Beloved's laughter (khanda) can provoke the lover's tears (geryehā), and the mere splendor of His countenance (āb-rū) can reveal the lovers' hidden secrets and compromise their reputations (āb-rūhā rīkhte) — here we recall Sa'di's lines: "Silently I weep at night, lest my secret remain concealed, Yet my hidden cry has reached every ear in the world."

Thus, this verse teaches us that the Beloved's nāz and the lover's niyāz are two sides of the same singular coin, which is love itself. This apparent contrast is, in fact, the manifestation of a deeper truth, wherein the stability and self-sufficiency of one side become the source of trembling and yearning in the other.

Key takeaways

• A singular love generates niyāz (longing) in the lover and nāz (self-delight) in the Beloved.
• The Beloved's serene and steadfast composure directly causes the lover's intense restlessness and agitation.
• The simile of the Beloved as an unshakeable mountain and lovers as trembling leaves vividly portrays love's contrasting manifestations.
• A single underlying reality (love) can produce entirely opposing effects and states in different contexts.